1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to the field of education. In particular, the invention relates to aids to education and study, including self-education and assisted learning and specifically to a device for the display and manipulation of information to be learned, studied, noted, or reviewed and a method of use of the display to assist in the learning of the information. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a display device shaped to go over and be supported by a breakfast cereal box or the like and having pockets to hold and display information for reading and writing as well as pockets to hold writing-related implements, and also to a method for use of the device as a creative aid to study and learning.
2. Prior Art
In the field of education, much of the study and learning of information is done outside of the educational venue and of the formal course work structure and, in particular, much of it is done in the home. This is true of institutionally delivered education, continuing education, and also of self-education. Such home and outside-the-classroom study and learning may comprise the reading and review of information, the repetition and memorization of information, and the drill in and practice of methods and procedures that were presented in the classroom or in the course materials.
However, the time-demands of contemporary society on individuals and families to whom education is important, and often essential, leave increasingly fewer opportunities to devote time solely to study and learning. As a result, much study and learning is being done "on the run," concurrently with or as part of other necessary activities. For example, travel, especially commuting, is rarely devoted solely to getting to the appointed destination. Some drivers are able study and inform themselves by listening to audio tapes; nearly all riders are able to study, learn, and practice by reading and writing, and many do. High school and college students commonly do their homework while listening to music, watching television, and/or talking on the telephone. Meals are another activity commonly combined with study and learning, and in fact the tradition of informing oneself by reading the daily newspaper at breakfast is time-honored.
Furthermore, when study and learning requires or will benefit from the assistance of another person, such as the assistance of children by parents, opportunities that bring two people together for the purpose of study are even rarer in the modern household than are opportunities for individual study. In this case, mealtimes are often the only such opportunities, and breakfast is the meal during which two or more household members are most likely to be found together.
Several schemes and devices have been disclosed that make use of the presence of the cereal box at the breakfast table and of the propensity of people to look at and read what may be printed on it. Many cereal boxes have been manufactured so as to incorporate removable coupons, decal, and stickers having some premium value as an inducement to buy the cereal product. Otto et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,124) proposes a structure laminated to a side of the box and having or providing pockets for the purpose of holding collectible items or other premium items. Bernard et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,124) demonstrates an entire game laminated onto the side of a box, using the box as a supporting structure, as a value-added premium and inducement to buy the product.
Such previously taught devices and structures, however, have been manufactured as an integral part of the box, are usually disposed of with the box, have no use apart from the box, or have no purpose unrelated to the cereal product. Such devices are generally designed solely to enhance the value of the product contained in the box, to promote that product, or to hold items or display information related to the product and its commercial value. Further, such devices provide no opportunity to incorporate into them materials of the user's choice of various sizes and types.
Many devices incorporate pockets of various sizes for holding a variety of items. For example, Blackman (U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,401) discloses such a carrier device constructed of fabric and having a number of pockets to hold a variety of items. Likewise, Pell et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,366) shows an organizer notebook having a number of pockets intended to hold, separately, paper items and writing implements. In both cases, as in many similar devices, the pockets are provided on the inside of a foldable structure meant for organizing and transporting the items held in the pockets. Struhl (U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,438) shows an example of an external pocket intended to contain an item (in this case, specifically a computer disc) related to the contents of the folder into which the pocket is incorporated. However, the purpose of this pocket, whether or not it is made of transparent material, is to organize and transport its contents, and is not suited for the display of materials for study.
Ditzig (U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,021) teaches a container for video cassettes having external, transparent pockets for the display of printed matter. Similar external, transparent pockets can be found commonly on such items as loose-leaf binders. It is the purpose of such pockets to hold printed matter so that it can be read from the outside of the container without the need to open the container to determine what is inside. And so it is a primary purpose of the information displayed in such external, transparent pockets to identify the contents of the container--or the subject of the contents of the loose-leaf binder--usually by means of titles, illustrative graphics, and descriptive text. It is a further important purpose of the information displayed in such pockets as are incorporated into containers of commercial products, such as the video cassette container of Ditzig, to advertise and promote the contained product and other related products. For those reasons, it is a feature of such pockets that the items held in them are difficult to remove, and so are difficult to change. In fact, as anyone will attest who, preparing for a presentation, has tried to quickly and efficiently insert title pages into such pockets on loose-leaf binders, it is often nearly as difficult to fill such pockets in the first place as to remove the inserts afterwards. Consequently, insertion of the display materials into the external, transparent pockets of commercial packages is typically done by machine. Thus it becomes difficult and undesirable for the original contents of the pockets to be changed and so be made to mis-identify the product or other material inside the container.
What is needed is a device with which to display a series of informational and study materials in a manner that is readily viewable, and also to hold readily accessible implements for writing on, marking, highlighting, and erasing the written or printed information. What is further needed is such a method and supporting device that can be used with common, everyday objects encountered in the home and in particular at locations in the home where students and others regularly gather. What is also needed is such a method and device that take advantage both of the relatively common practice of combining meals with reading and study, and especially that takes advantage of the particular opportunity for assisted study at the breakfast table.